J Korean Soc Radiol.  2014 Jun;70(6):444-447. 10.3348/jksr.2014.70.6.444.

MRI of Spontaneous Reduction of an Entrapped Annular Ligament in an Atypical Pulled Elbow Patient: A Case Report

• Park K
• Kim TE
• Cho YH
• Yi JH

• KMID: 1941774
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2014.70.6.444

Abstract

Pulled elbow is a common childhood injury, most frequently in under fives is usually caused by pulling on the child's arm or the forearm of a resisting child. It causes subluxation of the head of radius from its encirclement by annular ligament. There are circumstances in which the clinical history is unknown or atypical and reduction of the entrapped annular ligament is not successful. In such cases, MRI may be useful to make a definite diagnosis and confirm successful reduction. To our knowledge, there has been no reported case in which spontaneous reduction was confirmed by follow-up MRI after subsequent immobilization of the affected arm with the splint due to unsuccessful manual reduction of atypical pulled elbow. Here we report such a case and review literatures with regard to pulled elbow.

MeSH Terms

Arm
Child
Diagnosis
Elbow*
Follow-Up Studies
Forearm
Head
Humans
Immobilization
Ligaments*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Radius
Splints

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Coronal (A) and sagittal images (B) of T2-weighted turbo spin-echo with fat saturation show an entrapped annular ligament into the elbow joint of the right arm (arrow) and increased signal intensity of periarticular soft tissue (empty arrow).

• 

  Fig. 2 Coronal (A) and sagittal (B) images of T2-weighted turbo spin-echo obtained 7 weeks after the symptoms subsided, show reduction of the annular ligament (arrow).

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